Eywa's Way
by Xeal II
Summary: A series of one-shots from Neytiri's perspective, expanding upon scenes from the movie. Neytiri comes to terms with her conflicted feelings about Jake Sully while questioning the twist of fate that brought them together in the first place.


_Author's notes: This is a companion piece to "He Who Rules," written from Neytiri's perspective. Like the other story, it's a series of one shots describing and expanding upon scenes from the film. They are distinct enough to be separate stories, but they are linked together, obviously._

**Eywa's Way**

Sky People haunted her dreams, demons of fire and metal crawling over her home, silencing the voice of Eywa. They were relentless, crafty creatures, appearing within the bodies of The People, watching her from the stars, hounding her in her deepest nightmares. Neytiri knew them for what they were, a flood of flame and death that would consume all she held dear. But even Sky People could be brave.

Silence governed her movements as she drew her bow, aiming for the dreamwalker's chest. She said a silent prayer to Eywa that the killing would be quick and painless, for she did not wish to see even Sky People suffer needlessly, no matter what they had done to her world. The bowstring drew taut as she focused her mind, careful to mask the sounds with the natural flow of the forest. Her mind registered the slight breeze and the angle at which the arrow would fall, adjusting carefully for both. There could be no missing this human, something told her that she had only once chance before this demon would escape or fight back.

Shimmering whiteness hovered in the corner of her vision, interrupting the flow of her thoughts. A single _a__tokirina_ floated gently in the breeze, hovering just over the tip of her arrow. Part of her wanted to argue with Eywa, why would the great mother want to save this wretched demon? Her heart knew there was no arguing, Eywa wanted her to stay her hand, and she must obey. Relief flooded over her as she gently released the tension in her bow. Had she really wanted to kill him in the first place? It was not right to allow dreamwalkers here.

**

_Nantang _were everywhere, overrunning the foolish dreamwalker, stalking from every angle. Yet the demon did not fear them, indeed he demanded they attack him, leaning forward and letting loose a fearsome scream. This pack took the cue, leaping at him from everywhere, and for a moment Neytiri thought they would dispatch him quickly, ending her annoyance with Eywa's will in this matter. Yet the human held on, charging the _nantang,_ attacking them with fire and knife blade. He was brave, but so stupid, the fire driving the _nantang _into a frenzy, singling him out as a target. Several went down, thrashing and yelping, but it was clear the demon was out of options. Without the Sky People weapons, the forest would claim him soon.

Sadness overcame her as arrows found their mark, as her bow cut across their faces. _Nantang _were vicious creatures, but they were Eywa's children just as much as she was. To treat them so disturbed the very core of her being. Yet the great mother had spoken, this dreamwalker was important, somehow, and Neytiri could not disobey such a command. If only the demon wasn't so _stupid,_ all of this wouldn't have been necessary.

Demonic eyes focused on her, just ever so smaller than proper Na'vi eyes ought to be. He was babbling on about thanks, but Neytiri went on in her prayer, ignoring the senseless stupidity frothing from his false mouth. Yet a strange emotion came over her as she stood, carefully avoiding looking at him. Sorrow for the needless killing was there, but so was a strange protectiveness. He was so much like a baby, yet brave and true. A part of her wanted to protect him, to see to it that the forest did not kill him before he had a chance to learn. What foolishness was that? Sky People never learned. _Maybe this one can,_ came the response deep within her own mind.

**

Even splattered with mud and grime, Jakesully was remarkably attractive, for a dreamwalker. Certainly the demons had crafted this body well, but much of it was in his stance, in his eagerness to defeat each task he was given. Tsu'tey might insult him, the _pa'li_ might dump unceremoniously onto the ground each time he tried to ride, but always Jakesully would try again. There were many failures, but eventually he conquered each task through sheer determination and fearlessness. Even among the People, such single-minded determination was exceptionally rare. She could not imagine how few Sky People possessed such bravery.

Part of Neytiri didn't want to admit it, but she was starting to enjoy her time with the dreamwalker. For many seasons she had continued to live each day without truly living. Her fate had been preordained from birth, she was to be Tsahik, she was to be mated with Tsu'tey, she was to be a hunter. All of these things were not bad, but she resented having each aspect of her life planned by someone else. Jakesully's appearance had offered her the chance to do something different for a time. Though she complained at first, it was becoming obvious even to her that there was something greater than all of them at work here.

**

Ever so slightly, her hand brushed against his, steadying his aim. _Was that really why I did it? _She asked herself. Normally it took many seasons for a Na'vi to master the bow, but Jakesully had done it in a few months. Were all Sky People warriors so strong in spirit? Yet she already knew the answer, he was something different, something unique among both peoples. To her, he was a demon no longer.

His eyes held her gaze for just a moment, and she saw her own assessment of him reflect back at her. There was deep respect in there, friendship and maybe something more. Was she hoping for something that could never be? Was she seeing only what she wanted to see? Whatever she felt didn't matter, he was a dreamwalker, he was Sky People. He was her enemy, but he was her friend. The contradiction threatened to drive her mad. Regardless of the turmoil in her own emotions, she thanked Eywa that her hand had been stayed, that this warrior might live.

**

Fear was a thing to be banished, to be ignored. Yet the feeling could not be washed away. It was not fear for herself that caused the tremor in her steps or the beating of her heart. Jakesully was cast into the air, thrown over the side of the cliff face by the _ikran_ he dueled with. Much like everything the warrior did, he had chosen the most fearsome of the _ikran, _larger and stronger than the others. It was fitting that such a creature would choose him too, but she could not bear to see him lose this battle.

Tsu'tey's laugh was like a knife cutting into her heart. Had her eyes not been glued to Jakesully the entire time, she might have attacked the disrespectful warrior. Certainly, she had no desire to mate with him, regardless of what it might mean for her future as Tsahik. Tsu'tey was certainly a brave enough hunter, but she could do without the arrogance, the presumption that he, and he alone, understood the forest and Eywa. Jakesully held no such presumptions, in many ways he was as pure as the baby she often accused him of being. More than anything, he seemed so happy to be alive, to be running and leaping across the forest.

As always Jake scrambled up again, not giving up his battle, leaping with obvious relish into the fray, forcing the angry _ikran_ to the ground. She screamed at him, reminding him that this was a battle he didn't have to win, he only had to make the bond and it would end. Somehow, the warrior found the strength to subdue the beast and her heart wanted to leap out of her chest. Jakesully would be Omaticaya now, he had proven everything she had suspected about him, except for one last thing. Sadness threatened her, but she knew some things could not be. _Eywa, why must you be so cruel to me? Couldn't you have sent him to another? _But she would not trade the experience even if Eywa had offered it to her.

**

"Ninat is the best singer."

Her voice was not her own, she could not even look at him, lest the sorrow she felt become visible. Jakesully did not need her turmoil burdening him. He did not need to know what went on in her mind, what she felt within her heart.

"I don't want Ninat"

The reply was strong, filled with that _certainty _that had first attracted her. Jakesully always knew what he wanted and would fight to achieve it. It was a trait to be admired. A single _atokirina _hovered in her hands, was it a message? A sign from Eywa?

"Pey'lal is good hunter."

"Yeah, she is a good hunter."

Something in his voice made her turn to face him, it was as if every name she listed off was a mere distraction from his real reason for being here. She felt her eyes widening in shock, she had been so sure she had imagined his glances, the way he looked at her when he thought she could not see. _Have I been the true __skxawng__?_ She asked herself.

"I've already chosen..." her breath caught in her throat. This was not allowed, she was betrothed, it could not happen. "...but this woman must also choose me."

"She already has..." Joy flooded her like a wave crashing from the eastern sea. What was allowed or forbidden had no more meaning for her. Eywa would not frown upon such a union, consummated here, in this sacred place. They would be mated for life, it was the way things _should_ be, even if they were not right.

**

Rage, hate and anger welled up within her. Sky People were the demons she had almost forgotten them to be. Fire obeyed their commands, dancing out from their flying metal beasts, annihilating all. Hometree had fallen, her father was dead, and it was her fault. She loved Jakesully, she hated Jakesully. It was a contradiction that destroyed her grip on sanity.

The demon had known this would happen, the demon had fallen in love with her. Jakesully had tried to save them after telling the others how to kill them. Both things could not be denied, and it made her anger grow as hot as the fires burning through the forest. How could Eywa have let this happen? The great mother must have known this when the _atokirina_ stayed her hand.

Her rage and grief mixed into a torrent of denial, and she pushed the demon away from her, as if to deny she had ever spoken softly to him, ever embraced together as mates. Part of her knew such a connection could never be denied, but it didn't matter now. The demon must go. Her eyes must never gaze upon him again. Neytiri thought of the knife at her waist. It could all be ended now, she could kill this false body and deny to herself that anything had ever happened between them. But try as she might, she could not bring herself to kill that which she loved, that which she hated. His hand reached out to her, offering comfort she did not want from such a demon. Sky People were crafty, indeed. They had fooled Eywa somehow, they had fooled her mind and her heart, but she would not let them fool her again.

"Get away. Get away from here! Never come back!"

**

A moment before Toruk landed upon the rock, Neytiri felt the connection, the bond with her mate. She knew who had rode the great beast even before her eyes could confirm it. No false demon could have done such a thing, only the purest of souls in the most dire of times had ever been able to mount the Last Shadow. Even if she doubted the legends, she could not doubt her eyes. Jakesully had come to fight his own kind. _But were they his own kind anymore?_

"I see you." Relief flooded over her, washing away the conflicting emotions within. Toruk Makto had banished her fear, her sorrow and her hatred to the place where the eye does not see.

"I see you." His reply was soft, carrying the love she had felt from him before as they lay together in the tree of voices. Part of her had longed to see him again, to feel the bond within. Another part had denied everything, blocked out the memory as a falsehood, banished the thoughts of him away.

None of it mattered anymore. Toruk Makto had come to unite them, to fight the Sky People. She would never doubt him or Eywa again. Somehow the great mother had known, and she chastised herself for denying the wisdom. Eywa had chosen Jakesully, and she would follow him anywhere, even to her own death.

**

Seze was dead. It felt wrong to latch on to that when so many others were out there, falling in battle, but the loss was a thing she felt within. They were bonded no longer. Sky People and their machines were everywhere, advancing on the Tree of Souls, even as the sky-battle unfolded above her. Fire consumed the forest, obeying the whims of its demonic masters. Death was everywhere, the rain of metal, fire and bodies never ending. Jake was telling her to stop, not to fight anymore, but this was one command she would not heed. She was a hunter, a warrior, and she would fight for her world until she could not fight anymore.

Her bowstring drew taut as she aimed carefully for an unsuspecting Sky People warrior. She had killed many Sky People today, but this would be her last. Great machines smashed the forest around them, metal monstrosities that few had been able to destroy. She would kill one more enemy, and then the metal demons would kill her. It was the way of things. Her only regret was that Jakesully would go on alone, the sorrow he would feel haunted her in those final moments.

Then everything stopped. Men and machines halted where they were, looking about with apprehension and fear. Something was happening, the ground shook like the thundering mountains. Trees uprooted everywhere as the _angtsìks _charged the Sky People, tossing their machines about like leaves in the wind. Screams and shouts were everywhere, but Neytiri was no longer listening. Excitement and relief flood over her as she screamed in joy.

"Eywa has heard you!"

**

Tears welled up within her as she shook the fallen body of her life mate. He could not die now, not after leading the People to such a victory. Breath came, his chest rising and falling as it always had, but there was no life in his eyes, no movement, no sign of his soul. She suddenly remembered (how easy it was to forget) that despite becoming one of the People, he was still a dreamwalker. Alarms blared from the metal box, and Neytiri understood.

Her cries of fear and pain tore from her throat as she leaped inside, terrified of what she may find. A frail human body, so small and child-like, lay upon the metal, breathless. Neytiri's scream caught in ther throat, coming out as a ragged groan of pain as she shook the body desperately. Sky People or Na'vi, it didn't matter, he could not leave her, not now. A mask dangled next to him and she reached for it desperately, placing it on his face in the manner she had seen other humans do. It was strange to think that the life-giving air around her was so damaging to them. A part of her admired even the enemy Sky People for their determination to fight when their bodies were so frail and weak.

Moments passed, seeming like the many seasons all at once, before breath returned to him. His hands reached for something she couldn't see, clearing the fog from the mask. She cursed her foolishness for knowing so little about the Sky People things. Yet none of that mattered now, his soul was safe for now, secure in this fragile form until the time he could return to his _true_ form, the one his spirit truly belonged in. _I must be strong for him now._

"I see you." He reached for her cheek, touching her in that familiar manner. It felt so different, this human skin touching hers, caressing her, and yet so familiar at the same time. She wanted to tell him that none of this mattered, that whatever form he took, it was his spirit that truly counted for something. But she didn't need to, she saw the understanding in his eyes, the depth of feeling words were useless to convey.

"I see you." She replied simply, letting the tears flow down her cheeks finally, washing away the fear of loss, the memory of so much death. She felt his shame mix with his love through their bond. Somehow, though far weaker, it remained with her, a comfort and a reminder of what really mattered. Neytiri lifted her mate in her hands, gently holding him in her arms as they left the cold metal box behind.

**

Chanting echoed everywhere, the harmony of Eywa surrounding her, comforting and familiar. This was where all energy came from, where all must return, and where she hope it could be moved to where it truly belonged. Jake's human form breathed softly, once, twice and never again. Tendrils of the Tree of Souls lay about him, covering him, connecting to his very soul. Hope swelled within her, desire, fear and love mingling together in a flood of emotion as she bent down, gently kissing the cheeks of his still-warm body. She was grateful for that body, for the vessel that had brought his soul to this place, that she might _see_ him.

Mother was above her, gesturing to the familiar blue form breathing softly, eyes still closed tightly. Worry was everywhere in her mind, how could she go on without her life mate? She had heard Sky People could mate with many of their kind, but Na'vi could not do so. Once linked, it was impossible to break or sever. Mo'at didn't seem worried, however, smiling gently at her daughter, perhaps confused at what drove her to choose this dreamwalker as her mate, but still loving and accepting of it. As Neytiri leaned in close, the eyes opened, focusing for the first time as a true Na'vi. Their bond returned to her, the torrent of shared joy breaking through at last.

"I see you." She said. But before waiting for the reply, and heedless of the many eyes watching, she cradled his head and kissed him. There were shocks throughout the assembled crowd, gasps of amazement at the transfer, encouraging whispers for the life mates. But the two of them heard or cared for none of these things just now. As she let herself go in the moment, a final thought remained to her. Jake had been chosen by Eywa to find a way to drive out the Sky People, but she had been chosen to find him._We are mated by choice, we are mated by fate, we are mated through Eywa herself. _There could be nothing more right than that. It was Eywa's way.


End file.
